Digging deeper: New demands and techniques of design and engineering

Exploring case studies about Arcadis’s designs including Shams Canals and Marine Works in Abu Dhabi and a number of canals and waterways in the Netherlands, focusing on analytic solutions and practical considerations

Bahrain has some incredible projects currently being undertaken that have involved both challenges and innovation in the dredging and reclamation stage. This presentation will look at present projects in Bahrain and how they are strategically being designed and built for their unique environments.

Craig Thackray

With emphasis and importance growing on the use and heritage of our coastlines, it is vital to ensure that projects work with rather than against the marine environment. This presentation will focus on the need to monitor beach profiles and rip currents to ensure a sustainable coastline and marine environment as it undergoes development and urbanisation

Land reclamation is a part of Bahrain’s drive to attain economic, environmental and social sustainability which it hopes will see household incomes doubled by 2030. But it is an ambition that is being dampened by threats to the nation’s biodiversity. Climate change, rising sea levels,

ocean acidification, droughts and water scarcity are putting immense pressures on the country’s wildlife.

11:30 am - 12:00 pm Simulating the propagation of a tsunami event in the Arabian Gulf

The 1945 tsunami generated due to Makran earthquake in the Arabian Sea was the most devastating tsunami in the history of the Arabian Sea that caused severe damage to property and loss of life. With the level of investment and development of waterfront and offshore marine structures, it is important to understand and monitor the potential devastating effects of a tsunami in the Arabian Gulf to best mitigate the associated risks.

Important strategic facilities such as refineries, power stations and desalination plants are widespread along the coastline of the Arabian Gulf. These require a plentiful supply of clean seawater, which is usually abstracted through marine intakes. In many countries that border with the Gulf, desalination is the only native source of potable water for the population. As such, desalination plants are strategically important facilities that require protection against the effects of future development. The rapid pace of coastal development in the region means that many sensitive marine intakes can be at risk of poor water quality.

This presentation will provide a useful methodology for regional planning that is informed through hydrodynamic modelling assessments with the aim of safeguarding strategically important facilities. The use of buffer zones and a range of mitigation measures are also discussed.

Andrew Brown

Senior Coastal Engineer and Middle East Business ManagerHR Wallingford

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Methods and tools for optimising marine projects

Their expertise span across all water environments, with a 50-year track record developing and implementing solutions that meet real-life challenges in water environments the world over. This masterclass is your chance to gain from their knowledge, pioneering research and be part of their interactive platforms.

Topics to be explored:

Coastal and marine design tools

Survey and data

Numerical modelling

Baseline studies

Assessment of projects

Water environment with focus on dredging

Coastal projects

Dr. Ida Broker

Business Development Manager – Coastal and Estuarine Dynamics DepartmentDHI Denmark